The city of Modesto won the 2023 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Planning and Public Safety category. For more information about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org.

A program in Modesto is helping reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness. The Community Health and Assistance Team (CHAT) ensures that homeless residents have someone to care for them and direct them to permanent housing, medical care, financial aid, job placement, and other services.

In 2023, the CHAT team received nearly 5,000 calls, with 71% of individuals accepting services. The team placed 30 individuals in housing.

“CHAT earned my trust by doing what they said they would every time,” said Alfred, an amputee who was homeless for over 40 years and now lives in long-term housing.

The challenge

Four years ago, Modesto was inundated with quality-of-life issues. Besides housing, many homeless individuals struggle with complex issues, including untreated health problems, exposure to extreme heat and cold, hunger, and substance use

Business owners were concerned about losing business because customers didn’t feel safe. Other residents worried about taking their children to parks that had become de facto campgrounds for unhoused residents.

The solution

Formed in 2020 using federal CARES Act funding, CHAT connects individuals to a broad coalition of partners to help them meet their basic needs, secure vouchers and documents, peer support, case management, transportation, education, and other services needed to exit homelessness.

The state’s Community Corrections Partnership Program and a federal SANHSA grant fund several outreach specialist and supervisor positions, allowing the city to provide coverage seven days a week.

Outreach workers use a mobile app to track service engagement, case notes, and more. Intelligence analysts can use the data to evaluate the impact on crime statistics and calls for service.

Over these past four years, the city has implemented other complementary programs to support these efforts. Park rangers ensure safety in parks with visibility response and crime prevention. Two mental health clinicians ride full-time with an officer responding to mental health calls.

These internal partnerships free up police resources and often eliminate the need for an officer response, which can be intimidating.

Some formerly homeless clients are now working for the city. Yvonne had a history of homelessness. CHAT linked Yvonne with a position at the Stanislaus County Affordable Housing Program, where she successfully ran the winter shelter for an entire season. She now works for the city on the abatement team.

The police department has also implemented more youth engagement activities in at-risk areas to prevent homelessness. Detective Sean Dodge, who focuses on engaging students, organized 10k with a Cop. The initiative emphasizes building resilience, academics, physical health, and parent engagement. Another community program, The Healthy Room Project, provides clean, comfortable, and personalized spaces to vulnerable children.    

Dodge has “seen so many children positively impacted by the mentorship, encouragement, and direction for their future to prevent homelessness and criminal behaviors.” Because of this, he frequently volunteers additional hours off-duty for many of the activities.

The results

CHAT frees up police officers for urgent, in-progress calls, such as robberies, injury accidents, and other life-threatening crimes. In turn, outreach specialists can give the sustained case management and relationship-building needed to connect people with services.

The results are verifiable by the department’s statistics, but most importantly they are measurable made by the individuals CHAT serves.

Bill spent 17 years in prison. He became homeless shortly thereafter and struggled to find employment. He was “skeptical of CHAT at first” because of interactions with other outreach teams. But after consistent follow-through, street care, and collaboration, CHAT connected Bill with permanent housing.

“We strive to show our unhoused individuals that they are valued community members, and we want to provide any opportunity and service we can to help them succeed and feel safe,” said Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie.

Sgt. Eric Schuller oversees the program and can be reached at schullere@modestopd.com. Watch this video for an overview of the project.